The present invention generally relates to an atomizer and, more particularly, to a nozzle assembly for the atomizer which is effective to produce drops of liquid of a size ranging from a submicron to tens of micron and which can be used in a number of applications, e.g., atomizing water, oil, medical solution or the like liquid.
Of various types of atomizers, an ultrasonic atomizer is well known as an instrument for producing very fine drops of liquid at a rate required enough to make the atomizer available for industrial purpose. However, the prior art ultrasonic atomizer requires a relatively large amount of compressed air to operate and, therefore, a compressor of a relatively large size, which is generally expensive, must be prepared therefor.
In addition, the atomizing nozzle head used in the prior art ultrasonic atomizer essentially requires the employment of a resonant cavity which is generally fragile and susceptible to damage. Because of this, the applicability of the ultrasonic atomizer now available is limited.
As is well known to those skilled in the art, an atomizing technique is utilized in various fields of industry for a particular purpose. For example, metallurgical and ceramic industries utilizes the atomizer to produce a mist of liquid volant for forced-cooling of heated products (e.g., metal and glass plates); medical establishments and food processing industries utilize the atomizer to produce a mist of liquid disinfectant for keeping rooms in sanitary condition; and farmers utilize the atomizer to spray a liquid insecticide or insectifuge over farms within or outside hothouses or vinyl houses, although they are not limited thereto. Moreover, the atomizer is also utilized for spraying, sprinkling or misting any of various kinds of liquid mediums other than those mentioned above, for example, deodorant, water for humidifying, heavy oil, gasoline, lubricant and so on.
As a result of a series of experiments conducted to find the nature and characteristics of atomized liquid utilizable for such various purposes as mentioned above, it has been found that the atomization must satisfy the following requirements.
(a) Drops produced must have a maximum particle size within the range of 50 to 100 microns.
(b) Drops produced are preferred to be distributed as uniformly as possible and over an area or space as small as possible.
(c) Machines and equipments required to produce atomized liquid must be simple in construction, inexpensive and of a type that does not result in the increased maintenance cost.
The Japanese patent application No. 53-122155 filed in 1978, the invention of which has been assigned to the assignee of the present invention discloses the atomizer effective to satisfy the above mentioned requirements.